No one holiday hinges on personal outlook quite like Valentine’s Day. Presents are pleasant, and candy is dandy, but unlike these other annual undertakings, this particular celebration is totally dependent on one’s current state of being. For those deep in the throes of love, V-Day is not only welcomed, but anticipated, while the single and […]
Editorials
UTG LIST: Essential Songs for Valentine’s Day
February 13th, 2015 
Kyle Florence 
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Streams 
Tags: amy winehouse, architects, Bleachers, Brian Lion, coheed and cambria, copeland, dana reandelar, drew caruso, Emma Guido, florence + the machine, Foxing, Frontlines, john bazley, kittie, Kriston McConnel, Kyle Florence, Ma$e, Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s, michael giegerich, other minds, ryan kappy, sorority noise, the starting line, The Story So Far, the weeknd, Turnstile, utg list, Valentines Day 
1 Comment »
Is Charlie Puth’s “Marvin Gaye” Pop Music’s Next Smash Hit?
February 10th, 2015 James Shotwell Atlantic Records took the music industry by surprise in 2014 with the signing, and later complete radio domination, of Meghan Trainor. Her throwback sound, coupled with timely pop culture references, made songs like “All About That Bass” inescapable pop hits. Just how long her career will last is anyone’s guess, but it should go without […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews, Streams Tags: .mp3, atlantic records, Charlie Puth, marvin gaye, Meghan Trainor, pop music, review, single review, stream, you need to know 1 Comment »
‘Cabaret,’ A Perfectly Marvelous Show
February 6th, 2015 Emma Guido Though my knowledge of Broadway doesn’t exceed the popular shows running New York City, I know what I enjoy and why I like it. Since kindergarten, I’ve been blasting the exuberant soundtrack to Mamma Mia!, and in elementary school the friendship of Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked warmed my heart. Now, most recently, the infectious […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: alan cumming, broadway, Cabaret, emma stone Comments Off on ‘Cabaret,’ A Perfectly Marvelous Show
Anberlin’s ‘Never Take Friendship Personal’ Turns 10 Years Old
February 4th, 2015 Kellie Gannon Almost ten years ago, I was about to be a senior in high school and I was sitting in my friend Steve Rivers’ bedroom with no air conditioning, in the middle of summer, and it was a scorcher. We were staying out of the hot midday sun, playing Grand Theft Auto as Steve was quizzing […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: aaron sprinkle, anberlin, feel good drag, kellie gannon, KelliePhotographie, never take friendship person, paperthin hymn, review, Stephen Christian, ten year anniversary Comments Off on Anberlin’s ‘Never Take Friendship Personal’ Turns 10 Years Old
War Games May Be The Next Band To Change Your Life
January 26th, 2015 James Shotwell I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks participating in the Vans Warped Tour during the summer of 2012. My job, which at the time involved working for a music industry start-up focused on new artist discovery, sponsored a stage on the world’s largest traveling festival that offered more than 20 up-and-coming artists a chance […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews, Streams, Unsigned Tags: alternative rock, Connecticut, foundation, Holding Pattern, Holding Patterns, music, preview, review, stream, unsigned, wargames Comments Off on War Games May Be The Next Band To Change Your Life
The Next Band To Change Your Life: Empty Houses
January 14th, 2015 James Shotwell If you have been following along to the Twitter chatter in the alternative music realm this week you have no doubt seen someone mention Empty Houses, the Detroit-based trio of Ali Shea, Adam Mercer, and Dave Mackinder (Fireworks). January is a busy time so it’s completely understandable if you didn’t have time to commit to […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews, Streams Tags: 2015, Adam Mercer, Ali Shea, best new artist, dave mackinder, detroit, discover, Empty Houses, ep, fireworks, michigan, motown, new music, pop (genre), review, stream Comments Off on The Next Band To Change Your Life: Empty Houses
Here’s Why It’s Okay To Think That Fall Out Boy Song Isn’t All That Great
January 14th, 2015 Brian Leak This James Shotwell-opposing diss track began as a joke and gradually got a little heated. I was heckling him about his swooning over Fall Out Boy’s newly-released “Fourth Of July.” He gave me the title and suggested I write an anti-piece based on things I said. So here I am, probably more scathing and critical […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews Tags: 4th of july, album review, American Beauty, American Beauty/American Psycho, American Psycho, big hero 6, editorial, fall out boy, fob, folie a deux, Fourth Of July, futcc, Irresistible, new album, new song, patrick stump, pete wentz, review, single review, song premiere, Song Stream, take this to your grave, Uma Thurman 4 Comments »
Here’s Why Fall Out Boy’s “Fourth Of July” Is The First Great Song Of 2015
January 14th, 2015 James Shotwell We’re essentially halfway into the first month of 2015 at this point, and I think it’s fair to say there have not been many game-changing singles or albums released just yet. Not that we should expect such, of course, but aside from Kanye surprising everyone while they were busy celebrating the new year not a […]
EDITORIAL: What Will Be The American Movie Theater Experience In 2015?
January 9th, 2015 Drew Caruso After a trip to an AMC theater to see The Theory of Everything (which is an incredibly moving and powerful film that you must see), I found myself questioning the current state of the American movie theater experience. In a market where everything is now a “luxury” experience, it seems as if every theater is […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, Movies, News Tags: amc, amc cinemas, Andrew Caruso, drew caruso, editorials, features, luxury cinema, luxury movies, luxury theaters, movie theater, movies, news Comments Off on EDITORIAL: What Will Be The American Movie Theater Experience In 2015?
It May Be Impossible To Resist Kid Rock’s “First Kiss”
January 8th, 2015 James Shotwell Say what you will about the career of Kid Rock, but over the better part of the last two decades the Michigan native – who once dominated the rap rock arena – has delivered a steady stream of hits that are hard to forget. From “Cowboy” and “American Badass,” to more laid back fare like […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Reviews Tags: album, Best of 2015, First Kiss, Kid Rock, michigan, music video, review, single review, song review 1 Comment »
Eden The Cat Is The ‘Amateur’ Songwriter No One Can Resist
January 7th, 2015 James Shotwell Every year I tell myself I am going to dedicate more time to writing about artists on the rise that no one else makes time to cover, and every year those good intentions fade before the heat of summer arrives. Though I often find myself inundated with music from unsigned artists, I’ve honestly never written […]
Posted in Editorials, Features, Interviews, News, Streams Tags: acoustic, Amateur, artist to watch, Eden Rohatensky, Eden The Cat, editorial, Female songwriter, ghost, interview, Saskatchewan, singer-songwriter, unsigned, you need to know Comments Off on Eden The Cat Is The ‘Amateur’ Songwriter No One Can Resist
UTG’s 9 Artists To Watch In 2015
January 5th, 2015 James Shotwell We don’t keep many traditions around UTG, but one column we look forward to piecing together every year is our annual Artists To Watch list. We have highlighted several bands in recent years who later went on to make big impacts on music, including Tiny Moving Parts, Dangerkids, and Bad Rabbits. This year we could […]
Posted in Columns, Editorials, Features, News, Streams, Unsigned, UTG List Tags: Best New Artists, Best unsigned artists, fossil youth, head north, lavola, LYGER, Mariage Blanc, No Good News, No Tide, team, unsigned, Unsigned Artists 2015, UTG Lists, well kept things Comments Off on UTG’s 9 Artists To Watch In 2015